


finding starlight.

by RedPaladin465



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Destiny Island Trio (Kingdom Hearts), Destiny Islands (Kingdom Hearts), Drabble, Friendship, Gen, Heart-to-Heart, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Re:Mind, Riku has a moment, Stargazing, my friends are my power, post-kh3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:36:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28850700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedPaladin465/pseuds/RedPaladin465
Summary: "Do you ever wish none of this had happened?"-After losing Sora, Riku and Kairi have a quiet moment where the three of them shared their beginning and their end.
Relationships: Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	finding starlight.

**Author's Note:**

> /frantically waving to the KH community because I'm legitimately not consistent enough in writing for this fandom
> 
> /also hangs head in shame because Riku is my fave KH character and it took me like 19 years to write something Riku-centric
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys this quiet moment :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts

He had never wanted to come back.

The constellations that twinkled above were bright in the sky, the night so clear that it felt almost as if he just stretched out his hand, he could brush his fingertips against the heavens. It was so enormous, so vast that the longer he looked up, the more it felt like the starry sky was closing in on him, swallowing him whole and spitting him out into an endless sea.

A familiar weight settled in his chest as the dark pulsed around him, and then eased the next second where the pinpricks of light made their way through. There were moments he felt at home in that in-between of starlight and darkness, moments he was reminded of when he first stepped onto that middle road between roads, pulling that black hood over his head and never looking back.

And the road went on…and on…and on…

He had walked for so long.

In the end, it was the cool sand against the back of his fingers and whatever managed to get to the inside of his glove that anchored him to the ground, the beach pulling him back to himself when the coarse grains rubbed against his skin. He was sure there was sand in his hair too; he had lain there for quite a while, head rested on his twined hands. Slowly, he felt himself coming back to his senses, hearing the familiar call of cicadas and the rustling of leaves, and then the sound of the ocean waves gently meeting the shore breaking through all of it.

He really _hadn’t_ wanted to come back. This world had been too small, a tiny corner of what he knew had to be a bigger universe, but as aptly named as the Islands were, he found that it was no longer a place of anticipation and frustration, but a place of peace and light and rest. This was a world he and his friends had fought for after he fell headfirst into the darkness—this was his home, at the end of the day.

* * *

_“Hey! Wait up!”_

_“Too slow, Sora! See you at the finish line!”_

* * *

Footsteps on the sand interrupted his thoughts, but his body never tensed; hearing the gait and the way the sand shifted as they walked, he immediately knew who it was.

He cracked one eye open to see her red hair gleaming in the moonlight, framing her face every which way in the gentle breeze. Kairi sat down next to him, pulling her knees to her chest.

They had done this so many times growing up—he closed his eyes again, evening out his breaths as he waited for her to feel ready enough to speak.

“Do you ever wish none of this had happened?”

Her voice was so quiet, the waves nearly drowned her out. Riku exhaled slowly, then sat up, one of his legs outstretched on the sand as his other knee came up near his chest. Resting his arm on his raised knee, he looked from the smaller island back over to her, who was still looking out into the distance.

Considering her words, he allowed a small smile to creep onto his lips. “Missing Sora?”

She nodded, and Riku absent-mindedly took her hand like he had so many times before, squeezing gently.

 _Me too_.

* * *

_“One more time! You just got lucky!”_

* * *

“I don’t think so,” he said after a moment. “I don’t think Sora would either.”

Kairi tilted her head, a smile matching his on her lips as she squeezed his hand back. “Me neither,” she admitted. “I know he’s out there somewhere, waiting for us. Wherever he is…I know he’s still fighting.”

She brought her unoccupied hand up to her heart, tightening it into a fist.

* * *

_“Sora, do you like Riku?”_

_“Of course I like him, he’s my best friend!”_

_“Good. So, then, if something happens and Riku is about to get lost…or say he starts wandering down a dark path alone…you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That’s your job, Sora. And I’m counting on you to do it, okay?”_

* * *

“If two people share a paopu fruit, their destinies become intertwined. They’ll remain a part of each other’s lives, no matter what,” Kairi said softly.

Riku nudged her with an elbow. “We’ll find him,” he reassured her. “I’m leaving tomorrow to go see Aqua, Terra, and Ven. Terra says they’ve got an idea, and he wanted to talk to me about something.”

They stayed silent for a moment then, listening to the waves and taking in the stillness. After all these years, Riku had learned the language of silence well, and this one felt like the deep breath, the calm before the storm. Something was coming, he knew. If his recent dreams were any indication, something told him that whatever was next would be something big.

The tall building within an isolated city flashed before his eyes.

He just hoped it was enough to lead them to Sora.

* * *

_“This world has been connected.”_

_“One who knows nothing can understand nothing.”_

* * *

Sora had told him about this strange conversation with whom they now knew was Ansem at the very beginning of their journey. It felt like lifetimes ago instead of just the few years in between; their days racing along the beach and spending time together in the Cove seemed more like dreams than memories he dusted off the few times they were able to make it home.

“I got a call from Ienzo today,” Kairi said after a while. “He said maybe my heart or my memories could help track Sora down. He told Roxas and Xion the same thing—we’re all agreeing to it. He and Ansem said they weren’t sure how long it would take, but…”

But if there was the smallest chance, they would take it.

Riku felt his heart sink a little. He had gone so long first without Kairi, trying to find her and then trying to take care of her while being submerged in darkness, then he had gone so long trying to find Sora, trying to protect him as he slept in Namine’s care, and again when they were separated during the Mark of Mastery exam. He had gone so long trying to find and trying to protect his friends, and while he knew there were times he had to keep walking alone, while he knew that he would never be alone as long as their hearts were connected, he missed having them by his side.

* * *

_“Pull it together, Sora!”_

* * *

He had lost Kairi once before, and had spent months trying to find her, only to spend months taking care of her comatose body. He had fearlessly stepped into darkness, his bravado and curiosity winning over any worry and caution, his childish jealousy and anger drowning him in his need for power only for him to realize he had almost single-handedly paved the way for Xehanort’s opening act. His drive to find Kairi and protect her, to make her whole again, had been a red-hot rage tinted with black, driving him forward in his goals until he threw himself off the edge.

Losing Sora was not like losing Kairi.

They were both his best friends, but Sora had been there for as long as Riku could remember. Even as a young child, seeing how Sora was smaller, happier, more innocent, more outgoing—there was a light there that was evident even from a young age, even before Ventus’ heart had made its way to him; it was that light that Riku wanted to protect. Riku was a little older, a little more mature, a little more serious, competing with Sora like any other child, but also a sentinel, able to stand in front of his friend, just like he had in the face of oncoming darkness back in the Keyblade Graveyard.

Losing Kairi was like losing his heart. She was there, encouraging him and keeping him strong in the hard times.

Losing Sora was like losing his light. He was the drive to keep moving forward, to keep walking.

Glancing at Kairi next to him, Riku wondered briefly how she felt the weight of losing him, seeing the way she and Sora had grown together over the years. It was evident that her heart was aching for Sora in so many ways.

 _Pull it together, Riku_.

“But you have to try anyway, if there’s a chance,” he finished for her. He squeezed her hand one more time before letting go, turning his attention back to the stars, to where he knew the Land of Departure lay waiting. “We’ll find him, Kairi.”

* * *

_“When we grow up, let’s get off this island. We’ll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!”_

_“Sure. But isn’t there anything to do now? Hey, you know the new girl at the mayor’s house?”_


End file.
